Ben Simmons' former agent reveals why Aussie No.1 pick's NBA career took downward spiral

An insight into the mysterious case of Ben Simmons' fall from grace in the NBA has been offered by the Australian star's former agent, Rich Paul.

Simmons was widely expected to become a superstar of the game after he was drafted as the No.1 pick with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2016, but a troubling run with injuries, along with a loss of confidence, have proved costly along the way.

Almost a decade on from his first game in the league, it remains unclear exactly where Simmons will end up - or, for that matter, if he will return to the court this season. He currently is not contracted to any team.

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Simmons has made it clear that he does intend to step back out and play in the NBA this year, however, he is yet to put pen to paper on a deal with any team.

The 29-year-old did not rule out a potential reunion with the 76ers in 2026, revealing on Instagram that he would "hoop there for free".

With money seemingly not the issue, many pundits have pointed to the technical flaws that have troubled Simmons in his journey to live up to his full potential.

But Paul, one of the most powerful agents in the game, does not believe talent has not been the issue in Simmons' career, rather it is his outlook on being a professional athlete.

"Everything that Ben wanted to happen for Ben happened," Paul said on his podcast Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul.

"He was the No.1 pick in the draft, he was Rookie of the Year, he was a perennial All-Star, he was All-NBA, he got the max contract ... either you love what the game brings you, or you love the game.

"And when you play this game for so long as a kid, and most kids don't say, 'I want to get to the NBA, and I want to be great for 15 years'. No, they dream of making it to the NBA.

"You're going up that mountain [to get to live out your dream] and some guys get up that mountain saying, 'I made it'. Some guys get there and it's like, 'Good, I got up there. Now I'm going to go back down'.

"Some guys want to go higher - and that's the difference [between them and Simmons]."

Paul went on to recognise the journey Simmons had in the NBA all happened very quickly, with several individual accolades awarded to the Australian early on.

It was then that his co-host, Max Kellerman, declared that Simmons will be remembered by some fans of the game as a "waste of talent".

Paul's response to that statement was simple.

"That's you as a fan wanting more for you," he replied.

"We don't know what he wanted for him.

"What we do in sports is we say, 'Oh, Ben Simmons needs to be like this person'. No, Ben Simmons needs to be like Ben Simmons."

Just last week, Simmons conceded he is in no rush to return to the game, but hopes that when the time comes he will be in top form both mentally and physically to do so.

While he waits for an opportunity, the Australian is working on his fitness.

"I want to get to the best of my ability and physical peak to compete. Otherwise, it doesn't really serve me any purpose," Simmons told journalist Marc J Spears.

"For myself, I got to the point where I just wasn't in a place physically yet to get back on the court and play to what I want to be able to give to the game.

"I can't play this game or give what I can if mentally and physically I'm not there. And the physical part is what it's been for the last two years."